We are in a battle, but this battle can be won. That is what the gospel is all about--not just forgiveness, but release from bondage. The way you overcome is to keep overcoming. I don't have to tell you that there is an active conversation going on inside of you. The Holy Spirit is telling you one thing and your own fleshly nature, the part of your mind that has been corrupted by Satan through your body and is under the control of Satan through your body, is telling you something else. We all face the same thing. And, we live in a very corrupt society that tries very hard to push every one of us toward sexual sin through sensual music, magazines, Internet websites, acquaintances, etc. To overcome this, you must deny your self. You must die to your self. And, you must live to Christ.

 

So, what does that mean? How do you die to self?

 

It is really simple in concept and difficult to achieve. A child could understand it, but how many will choose to walk in it?

 

God speaks to you. When He speaks, when He leads, His voice is not the only voice you hear. You also hear a voice urging you to think about the very thoughts that the Holy Spirit tells you not to think about, and to look at the things that the Holy Spirit says not to look at, and to say the things that the Holy Spirit tells you not to say, and to do the things that the Holy Spirit tells you not to do. In fact, the Holy Spirit is probably leading you to pray and to walk in the Spirit while your fleshly nature is telling you to do the opposite.

 

(some caveats about hearing God's Voice)

 

Each battle is for your mind. In each moment there is a battle. Many battles make a war. Satan has had your mind almost wholly to himself, and he wants it all back. Satan will use his servants to tell you any lie that might allow him to keep you and kill you. The Holy Spirit says, "Don't be conformed to this world but be transfigured by the renewing of your mind." So, the battle is for your mind, and you have control of your will. Satan can't make you do anything. God will not force you to do anything. You must choose between these two voices. Which one will you listen to?

 

If you choose to listen to Christ, then, an amazing thing happens. It a miracle and a gift. Faith comes by hearing and hearing comes by the utterance of God. God speaks, you listen, and faith comes. This is not human faith. This is the faith of God. It is a supernatural belief and trust, "and that faith is not of yourself, it is the gift of God lest any man should boast." You may recognize these Scriptures, though they are paraphrased here.

 

The Bible doesn't leave it there. Paul tells us, in the letter to the Romans, that faith gives us access to grace. Another Scripture tells us that faith is the door to grace. And again, in Romans, God speaks to us to let us know that it is grace that does the works. God tells us that righteousness is a free gift. We must receive it, though. That is where your will comes in. Not to will to do your own works but to turn your will to yielding to the Spirit of God allowing Him to think His thoughts, say His words, and do His works through you.

 

God gives you His Own Faith, a supernatural trust in Him. Then, He flows into you by His Spirit to do His work through you. In Romans again, God says that you must yield the members of your body to Him. The flesh will cry out in fear and anger. Your fleshly nature is actually like a cornered rat now that you have received Christ. It will fight to the death, but don't be fooled by its tricks. Christ will win if you stick to Him. Your body will tell you that you will never win and your fleshly mind will back up your body, but they are liars and they are slaves to the prince of liars. So you yield yourself to the Holy Spirit. Don't worry about how you feel. Treat the feelings of your emotions and your body as if they are dead. Paul said to reckon them to be dead. Reckon, in this sense, is an accounting term. They are dead, and you just have to enter it into the ledger sheet in your mind. You ignore a dead person, and you ignore the urgings of your body and turn to Christ. Listen to Jesus.

 

When you yield yourself to Jesus, you are changed in your very nature. Each time you yield, you are transfigured in your mind. A part of your self nature dies and Christ is more fully formed in you.

 

So many people make the mistake of thinking that this is an instantaneous salvation, and so they think that something is dreadfully wrong when Satan can still torment them and tempt them. However, it is a walk in the Spirit to the Kingdom of God. The less of your carnal nature that is left, the harder it fights.

 

When you yield to Jesus and allow Him to think His thoughts through you, say His words through you, and do His acts through you, He plants good seed in the garden of your mind. His Spirit is poison to the weeds that Satan has always sowed into your mind. You reap what you sow. When, by yielding to the Spirit, you sow good seed into your heart, your mind, then your mind will begin to produce the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, meekness, faith, temperance. This kills the flesh even further. It is a long walk of gradually winning the war a battle at a time. You may slip across the line, but, when you confess, God forgives and gives you power for righteousness.

 

1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us that God has made Jesus our wisdom. Our wisdom has a name, and that name is Jesus. Our wisdom is a Divine Person. And our wisdom consists of righteousness, holiness, and redemption. Righteousness is in the moment. It is by grace which is through faith. That is, God speaks, faith comes and gives access to grace, and grace does the works of righteousness, thought, word, and deed. Then there is the transformation. That is the beginning of sanctification or holiness. Righteousness is in the moment. Holiness is a permanent change in what you are. Redemption is being set free from the slavery to sin. Righteousness is in the moment, but holiness and redemption are both permanent and progressive. The progress into holiness and redemption may seem slow, but keep going. The rewards are worth the patience. These constitute a progressive transfiguration of your mind and eventually of your body at the manifestation of the sons of God.